For the surgical treatment of fractures of bones or for fixing surgical implants, threads, or tissues in or on the bone, even rivets, in particular blind rivets, can be used. Particularly suitable are rivets with closing heads formed of separate anchoring tongues spread relatively wide. Such blind rivets are disclosed in the non-medical area, e.g. in UK Patent Application No. GB 2,054,082 to Tucker Fasteners. The anchoring tongues are formed by axial tearing of the wall of the rivet shaft at the front end of the blind rivet by means of a pyramid-shaped, sharp-edged closing head which is drawn into the hollow cylindrical rivet shaft from the front end. At least one disadvantage of these types of blind rivets is their limited application to soft materials and the necessity of high closing forces for forming the closing head on the blind rivet.
A need exists for an improved medically applicable fixation means, in particular a surgically applicable blind rivet which provides materials with high strength, e.g. titanium, and can be fixed by means of closing forces acceptable in surgery. A need also exists that the device be suitable for the treatment of fractures of bones and/or for fixing surgical implants, surgical threads, or tissues in or on the bone.